This statistic shows the European Union countries with the highest share of births out of wedlock from 2009 to 2011. In 2009, the share of births out of marriage in Great Britain amounted to 46.3 percent.

This dataset includes birth rates for unmarried women by age group, race, and Hispanic origin in the United States since 1970. Methods for collecting information on marital status changed over the reporting period and have been documented in: • Ventura SJ, Bachrach CA. Nonmarital childbearing in the United States, 1940–99. National vital statistics reports; vol 48 no 16. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. 2000. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr48/nvs48_16.pdf. • National Center for Health Statistics. User guide to the 2013 natality public use file. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. 2014. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data_access/VitalStatsOnline.htm. National data on births by Hispanics origin exclude data for Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma in 1989; for New Hampshire and Oklahoma in 1990; for New Hampshire in 1991 and 1992. Information on reporting Hispanic origin is detailed in the Technical Appendix for the 1999 public-use natality data file (see (ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Health_Statistics/NCHS/Dataset_Documentation/DVS/natality/Nat1999doc.pdf.) All birth data by race before 1980 are based on race of the child. Starting in 1980, birth data by race are based on race of the mother. SOURCES CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, birth data (see http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm); public-use data files (see http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data_access/Vitalstatsonline.htm); and CDC WONDER (see http://wonder.cdc.gov/). REFERENCES Curtin SC, Ventura SJ, Martinez GM. Recent declines in nonmarital childbearing in the United States. NCHS data brief, no 162. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2014. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db162.pdf. Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Osterman MJK, et al. Births: Final data for 2015. National vital statistics reports; vol 66 no 1. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2017. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr66/nvsr66_01.pdf.

The percentage of births to unmarried women in the United States has more than doubled since 1980, reaching 40 percent in 2023. This significant shift in family structure reflects changing societal norms and demographic trends over the past four decades. The rise in births outside of marriage has implications for family dynamics, social support systems, and public policy. Age and ethnicity factors in birth rates While the overall percentage of births to unmarried women has stabilized around 40 percent in recent years, birth rates vary significantly across age groups and ethnicities. Unsurprisingly, in 2023, women between 20 and 34 years old had the highest birth rate at 83 births per 1,000 women, while teenagers aged 15 to 19 had the lowest rate at 8 births per 1,000 women. Additionally, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women had the highest fertility rate among all race/ethnicities in 2022, with approximately 2,237.5 births per 1,000 women, compared to the national average of 1,656.5 births per 1,000 women. Changing household structures The increase in births to unmarried women has contributed to evolving household structures in the United States. In 2023, there were approximately 15.18 million families with a single mother, a significant increase from previous decades. This trend aligns with the overall rise in births outside of marriage and suggests a growing need for support systems and policies that address the unique challenges faced by single-parent households.

Dataset to accompany the paper "Marital fertility patterns and nonmarital birth ratios: an integrated approach"

Includes:

US African American women and White American women data on age-specific fertility (5-year groups), age specific marital fertility (5-year groups), proportion of women with a first marriage (5-year groups), and the ratio of births within marriage (5-year groups) as well as calculated values from the paper. For ages 15-44 and years 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000.

Selected European country women data on age-specific fertility (5-year groups), age specific marital fertility (5-year groups), proportion of women with a first marriage (5-year groups), and the ratio of births within marriage (5-year groups) as well as calculated values from the paper. For ages 15-44 and years 1991, 2001, and 2011 (data not available for all countries in all years).

Japanese women data on age-specific fertility (5-year groups), age specific marital fertility (5-year groups), proportion of women with a first marriage (5-year groups), and the ratio of births within marriage (5-year groups) as well as calculated values from the paper. For ages 15-44 and years 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010.

This dataset tracks the updates made on the dataset "NCHS - Birth Rates for Unmarried Women by Age, Race, and Hispanic Origin: United States" as a repository for previous versions of the data and metadata.

In 2024, the birth rate in France reached its lowest level since 1982. From 1982 to 2019, the birth rate in France has been fluctuating between more than 11 births and almost 14 births for 1,000 inhabitants. For the first time in this period, the birth rate fell below 11 in 2020. The highest birth rate in France during this period was recorded in 1982. That year there were 14.8 births per 1,000 inhabitants. Since then, the birth rate in the country keeps decreasing. If France keeps being one of the European countries with the highest fertility rate, it is still been impacted by the decline in the birth rate that affects most Western countries. A Declining birth rate Birth rate is the ration between the annual number of live births and the average total population over that year. In 2023, there were 640,000 live births in France, while the French population amounted to 68 million people. The average number of children born per women went from 2.03 in 2010, down to 1.66 in 2023. Births in France With a crude birth rate of 10.9 births per 1,000 inhabitants in 2020, France still has one of the highest birth rates in Europe. The percentage of children born out-of-wedlock in France has been rising since the nineties, reaching 65.2 percent in 2022. Another change can be seen in the average age at childbirth among French women. In 2022, most of women in France were aged 31.1 years old at childbirth, compared to 28.8 years old in 1994.

The count and description of the families of the Basque Country is done using various statistical sources. On the one hand, families are counted through the Population and Housing Census; on the other hand, the operation Demographic Survey (ED), of an intercensal and five-year periodicity, offers information on the formation of families, family size, preferences on the number and spacing of children, as well as numerous other characteristics, using the method of retrospective approximation to demographic phenomena. The count and description of the families of the Basque Country is done using various statistical sources. On the one hand, families are counted through the Population and Housing Census; on the other hand, the operation Demographic Survey (ED), of an intercensal and five-year periodicity, offers information on the formation of families, family size, preferences on the number and spacing of children, as well as numerous other characteristics, using the method of retrospective approximation to demographic phenomena.

This collection contains information on live births in the United States during calendar year 1980. The natality data in this file are a component of the vital statistics collection effort maintained by the federal government. Geographic variables of residence for births include the state, county, city, population, division and state subcode, Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA), and metropolitan-nonmetropolitan county. Other variables include the race and sex of the child, the age of the mother, mother's education, place of delivery, person in attendance, and live birth order. The summary variables in the file include total number of births occurring in the country, the ratio of births to married women, the ratio of births to unmarried women, number of live births by birth weight, total number of births to United States residents, births by attendant, and place of delivery.

The recount and description of the families of the Basque Country is carried out using diverse statistical sources. On the one hand, recounts of families are carried out via the Population and Housing Census; on the other, the five-yearly Demographic Survey (ED), of an inter-census nature, offers information on the make-up of families, the family size and preferences on the number and spacing of children and numerous other characteristics using the method of retrospective approximation to demographic phenomena.

In 2011, the average number of children in French families was *** children. This number was a little bit higher in blended families which accounted for *** children on average. With a higher divorce rate and a decreasing birth rate, families in France are experiencing changes in recent years.

More and more blended families in France

The most common family type in France in 2015 was a couple with children. In 2016, France was still the country with the highest fertility rate in Europe. That year, France had a mean of over **** children being born alive to a woman during her lifetime. French citizens have more children than their European neighbors which does not necessarily mean that France is not impacted by the decline of births. However, with the rising number of divorces in the country, more children are now living in a new type of family. Stepfamilies are becoming more common and in a survey from 2015, ** percent of responding French declared that they were in favor of creating a stepparent status for stepfamilies.

The evolution of family structure

Family structure is evolving in France and in Europe. Getting married and then having children in that order are not the most common life path anymore. In 2018, there were more than 60 percent of children born out of wedlock in France. Also, the country saw an increasing number of single parent families. The democratization of parental leave, as well as LGBT parenting, are reshaping the structure and the views public opinion could have about what being a family is.

In 2024, there were around *** live births per 1,000 inhabitants in Japan, down from about *** in the previous year. The total number of live births in the nation amounted to approximately ******* in 2024. Japan’s super aging society Directly after the end of WWII, the live birth rate in Japan was over ** per 1,000 of population. The rate has constantly dropped in the last decades after the second baby boom (between 1971 and 1974). Meanwhile, the life expectancy of the Japanese people has increased, reaching about **** years for women and **** years for men in 2022. Due to the combination of both factors, Japan has developed into one of the most rapidly aging societies in the world. Almost ** percent of Japan’s population is currently aged 65 years and older, falling into the “super-aged nation” defined by international institutions and organizations.  Decreasing number of marriages In Japan, the number of births outside of marriage is small. The Japanese government, therefore, considers the decreasing number of marriages as the driving factor behind the country’s fertility decline. As of 2024, the number of marriages per 1,000 Japanese citizens was ****, less than half compared to that in the early 1970s. The average age of first marriage has also risen for both men and women. This trend can be partially attributed to the increasing number of employed and therefore financially and socially independent women in the past two decades. The employment rate of women in Japan exceeded ** percent for the first time in history in ****.

In 2023, there were around six live births per 1,000 inhabitants in Japan, down from about 6.3 in the previous year. The total number of live births in the nation amounted to approximately 727,290 in 2023. Japan’s super aging society Directly after the end of WWII, the live birth rate in Japan was over 30 per 1,000 of population. The rate has constantly dropped in the last decades after the second baby boom (between 1971 and 1974). Meanwhile, the life expectancy of the Japanese people has increased, reaching about 87.1 years for women and 81.7 years for men in 2022. Due to the combination of both factors, Japan has developed into one of the most rapidly aging societies in the world. Almost 30 percent of Japan’s population is currently aged 65 years and older, falling into the “super-aged nation” defined by international institutions and organizations.  Decreasing number of marriages In Japan, the number of births outside of marriage is small. The Japanese government, therefore, considers the decreasing number of marriages as the driving factor behind the country’s fertility decline. As of 2023, the number of marriages per 1,000 Japanese citizens was 3.9, less than half compared to that in the early 1970s. The average age of first marriage has also risen for both men and women. This trend can be partially attributed to the increasing number of employed and therefore financially and socially independent women in the past two decades. The employment rate of women in Japan exceeded 50 percent for the first time in history in 2018.

Annual data of live births, fertility rates, percentage of births outside marriage, sex ratio, mean age of mother and country of birth of mother and father.

These tables are laid before Parliament before publication. Consequently, figures will not be released until 11.00 am.

Source agency: Office for National Statistics

Designation: National Statistics

Language: English

Alternative title: Birth summary tables, England and Wales

Statistics on live and still births occurring annually in England and Wales. Statistics for births in previous years are included to show trends in fertility. It also covers birth counts and birth rates tabulated by, among other attributes, parents' age, occurrence within or outside marriage, multiple births, mother's area of residence and country of birth, place of confinement, and father's social class (defined by occupation).

Source agency: Office for National Statistics

Designation: National Statistics

Language: English

Alternative title: Birth statistics, England and Wales (Series FM1)

Geographic coverage

National Coverage

Universe

The target population is all births recorded on the NPR between 1998 and 2010 for South African citizens and permanent residents, regardless of which year the birth occurred. All births that occurred in South Africa with parents being non-South African citizens or not permanent residents were excluded.

Sampling procedure

The registration of births in South Africa is governed by the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1992 (Act No. 51 of 1992), as amended, and is administered by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) using Form DHA-24 (Notice of birth), which recently replaced Form BI-24 that was previously used. Notice of the birth must be given by one of the parents or; if neither parent is available to do so, the person having charge of the child or a person requested by the parents to do so. The person requested to register the birth must have a written mandate from the child's parents which must also include the reasons why neither of the parents is in a position to register the birth. The birth of a child outside the country; where at least one parent is a South African citizen; can be registered at any South African Mission abroad.Documentary proof in the form of a birth certificate of the foreign country must accompany the Notice of Birth.

The Act states that a child must be registered within 30 days of birth. Where the notice of a birth is given after the expiration of 30 days from the date of the birth, the Director-General may demand that reasons for the late notice be furnished and that the fingerprints be taken of the person whose notice of birth is given. Where the notice of a birth is given for a person aged 15 years and older, the birth shall be registered if it complies with the prescribed requirements for a late registration of birth.

Following the registration of a birth, a birth certificate is issued by the DHA. Citizens and permanent residents receive computer-printed abridged birth certificates and non-citizens receive handwritten certificates. The information of South African citizens and permanent residents is captured on the National Population Register (NPR).

The following persons and particulars are eligible to be included on the NPR:

• All children born of South African citizens and permanent residents when the notice of the birth is given within one year after the birth of the child.

• All children born of South African citizens and permanent residents when the notice of the birth is given one year after the birth of the child; together with the prescribed requirement for a late registration of birth.

• All South African citizens and permanent residents who, upon attainment of the age of 16, applied for and were granted identification cards (or books).

• All South African citizens and permanent residents who die at any age after birth.

• All South African citizens and permanent residents who depart permanently from South Africa.

The DHA captures information on places based on magisterial districts using the twelfth edition of the Standard Code List of Areas (Central Statistics Services, 1995). Stats SA then recodes the magisterial districts into district councils (DCs), metropolitan areas (metros) and provinces based on the 2011 municipal boundaries. The data sets for 1998 to 2010 have all been recoded according to the 2011 municipal boundaries.

It should be noted that the distribution of births by DCs, metros and provinces are approximate figures; as there was no perfect match of magisterial districts for all DCs, metros and provinces since some magisterial districts are situated in more than one DC, metro or province. Such magisterial districts were allocated to the district council where the majority of the land area falls (see the folder on maps). The only exception was with Nigel in Gauteng province. The majority of the land area of Nigel magisterial district is in Sedibeng district council (which is mainly farm areas and therefore sparsely populated) while the majority of the population lives in Ekurhuleni metropolitan area. As such, Nigel was classified to Ekurhuleni and not Sedibeng.

Magisterial district of birth refers to the district of birth occurrence for births registered before 15 years of age. For those that were registered from 15 years of age, district refers to the district of birth registration. Furthermore, from 2009, the processing of late birth registrations from age 15 were centralised at the DHA head office in Pretoria. As such, the late birth registrations processed in Pretoria from 15 years have a district code of Pretoria; even if they occurred in other areas. There were a few exceptional cases which were registered in Pretoria; but were not captured using the Pretoria code.

Mode of data collection

Other [oth]

Research instrument

NOTICE OF BIRTH - [Births and Deaths Registration Act 51 of 1992]

A. DETAILS OF THE CHILD

B. DETAILS OF FATHER (PARENT A)

C. DETAILS OF MOTHER (PARENT B)

D. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF PATERNITY OF A CHILD BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK

E. DETAILS OF THE LEGAL GUARDIAN/SOCIAL WORKER*

F. DECLARATION

G. FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY - OFFICE OF ORIGIN

Cleaning operations

Data capturing of information on births is done by DHA officials. The data is captured directly onto the Population Register Database at Nucleus Bureau. These transactions are used to update the database of the NPR and the population register database. As soon as the DHA has captured the data; the data is made available on the mainframe. The data is then downloaded via ftp; or collected from the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) written on a CD by Stats SA. For the purpose of producing vital statistics, the following system is followed: all the civil transactions carried out at all DHA offices are written onto a cassette every day. At the end of every month, a combined set of cassettes is created containing all the transactions done for the month. These transactions are downloaded and the birth transactions are extracted for processing at Stats SA. The year in which the births are registered is the registration year. Using this information, Stats SA provides a breakdown of the registered births according to the year in which the births occurred.

While birth information sent to Stats SA is the same as that in the population register, there is a difference in the format between the two. On one hand, Stats SA’s data are based on births registered during the year (registration-based), while on the other hand, entries in the population register reflect the date of birth.

Data appraisal

Users are cautioned on the following limitations of the data:

• Father’s age had a high percentage of cases where information was unspecified or unknown for all the years.
• Data for 1998 and 1999 have incorrect information on month of birth, which could not be resolved.

Note: - Unknown : refers to cases where the answer provided is not correct or not possible given the options available. - Unspecified: refers to cases where no response was given.

This series consists of bound volumes and thermal bound folders containing birth information forms for the registration of births. The forms are required to be filled in for registration of births in accordance with the provisions of the Registration of Births, Deaths & Marriages Act 1959 (No.6564).

The Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages Act 1959 provided for the registration of births to be effected by post instead of personally by attendance before a Registrar. The system of registration was re-organised and centralised and a combined system of registration of births in the metropolitan and country areas started from 1 October 1960.

Since the central agency responsible for administering the Births, Deaths and Marriages Act 1959 is required to procure information of all the metropolitan and country births in the prescribed form, a separate sequence of birth information forms were created and registered with an annual single number by date of receipt which corresponds to the birth registration numbers entered in the relevant Birth Registers.

The records are statutory declarations by informants verifying the statements made. Information from these records is then transferred to the formal Birth Registers.

The P1 consignment consists of bound volumes containing birth information forms for the period Oct 1960 to 1984. Even though the forms are still being created and maintained separately from the corresponding Birth Registers, they are no longer bound in volumes. From 1984 they were kept in thermal bound folders.

These forms provide the following details:
- date of receipt
- registration number
- details about the child which include, date of birth, name, surname, sex, place of birth, living or stillborn
- details about parents (name, age, address, marriage details and occupation)
- names of witnesses.

Prior to 1971 particulars prescribed by the Schedule were supplied on three different types of forms which included:

- birth information forms in general (white) (Eighth Schedule)
- for illegitimate births (blue) (Tenth Schedule)
- late registration forms (pink) (Ninth Schedule)

The numbers of the volumes at the series level and the registration numbers at the contents level are the same as the corresponding Birth Register number and the birth registration numbers entered in the relevant Birth Registers created for registering the births in Victoria. (The corresponding Birth Registers are in the custody of Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages as at May 1990.)

This series can be accessed via the alphabetical name index created to provide access to the Birth Registers. The index from 1960 onwards is held by the Registry.

These records have been accorded a permanent status in accordance with the provisions of section 26 of the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages Act 1959 (No.6564).

BackgroundRemarkable reduction in global under-five mortality has been seen over the past two decades. However, Ethiopia is among the five countries which account for about half (49%) of all under-five mortality worldwide. This study aimed at identifying factors associated with under-five children mortality in Ethiopia using the 2019 Ethiopia mini demography and health survey data.MethodsThe most recent national representative demography and health survey data of Ethiopia, 2019 Ethiopia mini demography and health survey data, were used for this study. Count data regression models were applied to identify the factors associated with under-five children mortality. Statistical significance was declared at P-value less than 0.05.ResultsZero-Inflated Poisson (ZIP) regression model was found to be the best model compared to other count regression models based on models comparison Criteria. The ZIP model revealed that decreased risk of under-five mortality was associated with mothers aged 25–34 years, unmarried mothers, mothers delivered in health facility, mothers used Pill/IUD, mothers who had larger number of children at home whereas increased risk of under-five mortality was associated with older mothers at their first births, mothers from rural areas, mothers travel for 1–30 min and >30 min to get drinking water, mothers used charcoal and wood, children with higher birth order and multiple births.ConclusionsIn this study, place of residence, region, place of delivery, religion, age of mother, mother’s age at first birth, marital status, birth order, birth type, current contraceptive type used, type of cooking fuel, time to get drinking water, and number of children at home were statistically significant factors associated with under-five mortality in Ethiopia. Thus, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health and other concerned bodies are recommended to encourage mothers to deliver at health institutions, give awareness for mothers to use Pill/IUD contraceptive type, and facilitate rural areas to have electricity and drinking water near to homes so as to minimize the under-five mortality to achieve the sustainable development goal.

【リソース】Delayed registrations for Japanese in Japan - Natality_1_Delayed registrations of live births, by sex and year of birth:Japan, each prefecture and 21 major cities / Delayed registrations for Japanese in Japan - General mortality_1_Delayed registrations of deaths, by sex and year of death:Japan, each prefecture and 21 major cities / Foreigners in Japan - Natality_1_Live births born in wedlock by nationality of father and mother / Foreigners in Japan - Natality_2_Live births by sex, month of occurrence and nationality of mother / Foreigners in Japan - Natality_3_Live births born in wedlock by nationality of father, each prefecture and 21 major cities / Foreigners in Japan - Natality_4_Live births by nationality of mother, each prefecture and 21 major cities / Foreigners in Japan - Natality_5_Live births, mean age of mother, by nationality and age of mother / Foreigners in Japan - General mortality_1_Deaths by sex, month of occurrence and nationality / Foreigners in Japan - General mortality_2_Deaths by sex, place of occurrence and nationality / Foreigners in Japan - General mortality_3_Deaths by nationality, each prefecture and 21 major cities / Foreigners in Japan - General mortality_4_Deaths by sex, age and nationality / Foreigners in Japan - Infant mortality_1_Infant deaths (under 1 year) by sex, month of occurrence and nationality / Foreigners in Japan - Foetal mortality_1_Foetal deaths by month of occurrence, sex and nationality of mother / Foreigners in Japan - Foetal mortality_2_Foetal deaths by type of extraction, age of mother and period of gestation / Foreigners in Japan - Marriages and divorces_1_Marriages by nationality of bride and groom / Foreigners in Japan - Marriages and divorces_2_Mean ages, marriages and their percent distribution, of bride and groom (for first marriages and remarriages performed and registered in 2014) / Foreigners in Japan - Marriages and divorces_3_Divorces and their percent distribution, by legal type / Foreigners in Japan - Marriages and divorces_4_Divorces by nationality of wife and husband / Japanese in foreign countries - natality,general mortality,infant mortality,marriages and divorces_1_Live births, deaths and infant deaths (under 1 year), by sex and month of occurrence / Japanese in foreign countries - natality,general mortality,infant mortality,marriages and divorces_2_Mean ages, marriages and their percent distribution, of bride and groom (for first marriages and remarriages performed and registered in 2014) / Japanese in foreign countries - natality,general mortality,infant mortality,marriages and divorces_3_Divorces and their percent distribution, by legal type / Japanese in foreign countries - natality,general mortality,infant mortality,marriages and divorces_4_Deaths by sex and age / Delayed registrations for foreigners in Japan_1_Live births, deaths, infant deaths (under 1 year) and foetal deaths, by sex, year of occurrence and nationality_(1) Live births and deaths / Delayed registrations for foreigners in Japan_1_Live births, deaths, infant deaths (under 1 year) and foetal deaths, by sex, year of occurrence and nationality_(2) Infant deaths and foetal deaths / Delayed registrations for Japanese in foreign countries_1_Live births, deaths and infant deaths (under 1 year), by sex and year of occurrence / Vital Statistics_Vital statistics of Japan_Final data_Other_Yearly_2014 / Delayed registrations for Japanese in Japan - Natality_1_Delayed registrations of live births, by sex and year of birth:Japan, each prefecture and 21 major cities,Delayed registrations for Japanese in Japan - General mortality_1_Delayed registrations of deaths, by sex and year of death:Japan, each prefecture and 21 major cities,Foreigners in Japan - Natality_1_Live births born in wedlock by nationality of father and mother,Foreigners in Japan - Natality_2_Live births by sex, month of occurrence and nationality of mother,Foreigners in Japan - Natality_3_Live births born in wedlock by nationality of father, each prefecture and 21 major cities,Foreigners in Japan - Natality_4_Live births by nationality of mother, each prefecture and 21 major cities,Foreigners in Japan - Natality_5_Live births, mean age of mother, by nationality and age of mother,Foreigners in Japan - General mortality_1_Deaths by sex, month of occurrence and nationality,Foreigners in Japan - General mortality_2_Deaths by sex, place of occurrence and nationality,Foreigners in Japan - General mortality_3_Deaths by nationality, each prefecture and 21 major cities,Foreigners in Japan - General mortality_4_Deaths by sex, age and nationality,Foreigners in Japan - Infant mortality_1_Infant deaths (under 1 year) by sex, month of occurrence and nationality,Foreigners in Japan - Foetal mortality_1_Foetal deaths by month of occurrence, sex and nationality of mother,Foreigners in Japan - Foetal mortality_2_Foetal deaths by type of extraction, age of mother and period of gestation,Foreigners in Japan - Marriages and divorces_1

Abstract

The 1993 National Demographic Survey (NDS) is a nationally representative sample survey of women age 15-49 designed to collect information on fertility; family planning; infant, child and maternal mortality; and maternal and child health. The survey was conducted between April and June 1993. The 1993 NDS was carried out by the National Statistics Office in collaboration with the Department of Health, the University of the Philippines Population Institute, and other agencies concerned with population, health and family planning issues. Funding for the 1993 NDS was provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development through the Demographic and Health Surveys Program.

Close to 13,000 households throughout the country were visited during the survey and more than 15,000 women age 15-49 were interviewed. The results show that fertility in the Philippines continues its gradual decline. At current levels, Filipino women will give birth on average to 4.1 children during their reproductive years, 0.2 children less than that recorded in 1988. However, the total fertility rate in the Philippines remains high in comparison to the level achieved in the neighboring Southeast Asian countries.

The primary objective of the 1993 NDS is to provide up-to-date inform ation on fertility and mortality levels; nuptiality; fertility preferences; awareness, approval, and use of family planning methods; breastfeeding practices; and maternal and child health. This information is intended to assist policymakers and administrators in evaluating and designing programs and strategies for improving health and family planning services in 'the country.

MAIN RESULTS

Fertility varies significantly by region and socioeconomic characteristics. Urban women have on average 1.3 children less than rural women, and uneducated women have one child more than women with college education. Women in Bicol have on average 3 more children than women living in Metropolitan Manila.

Virtually all women know of a family planning method; the pill, female sterilization, IUD and condom are known to over 90 percent of women. Four in 10 married women are currently using contraception. The most popular method is female sterilization ( 12 percent), followed by the piU (9 percent), and natural family planning and withdrawal, both used by 7 percent of married women.

Contraceptive use is highest in Northern Mindanao, Central Visayas and Southern Mindanao, in urban areas, and among women with higher than secondary education. The contraceptive prevalence rate in the Philippines is markedly lower than in the neighboring Southeast Asian countries; the percentage of married women who were using family planning in Thailand was 66 percent in 1987, and 50 percent in Indonesia in 199l.

The majority of contraceptive users obtain their methods from a public service provider (70 percent). Government health facilities mainly provide permanent methods, while barangay health stations or health centers are the main sources for the pill, IUD and condom.

Although Filipino women already marry at a relatively higher age, they continue to delay the age at which they first married. Half of Filipino women marry at age 21.6. Most women have their first sexual intercourse after marriage.

Half of married women say that they want no more children, and 12 percent have been sterilized. An additional 19 percent want to wait at least two years before having another child. Almost two thirds of women in the Philippines express a preference for having 3 or less children. Results from the survey indicate that if all unwanted births were avoided, the total fertility rate would be 2.9 children, which is almost 30 percent less than the observed rate,

More than one quarter of married women in the Philippines are not using any contraceptive method, but want to delay their next birth for two years or more (12 percent), or want to stop childbearing (14 percent). If the potential demand for family planning is satisfied, the contraceptive prevalence rate could increase to 69 percent. The demand for stopping childbearing is about twice the level for spacing (45 and 23 percent, respectively).

Information on various aspects of maternal and child health---antenatal care, vaccination, breastfeeding and food supplementation, and illness was collected in the 1993 NDS on births in the five years preceding the survey. The findings show that 8 in 10 children under five were bom to mothers who received antenatal care from either midwives or nurses (45 percent) or doctors (38 percent). Delivery by a medical personnel is received by more than half of children born in the five years preceding the survey. However, the majority of deliveries occurred at home.

Tetanus, a leading cause of infant deaths, can be prevented by immunization of the mother during pregnancy. In the Philippines, two thirds of bitlhs in the five years preceding the survey were to mothers who received a tetanus toxoid injection during pregnancy.

Based on reports of mothers and information obtained from health cards, 90 percent of children aged 12-23 months have received shots of the BCG as well as the first doses of DPT and polio, and 81 percent have received immunization from measles. Immunization coverage declines with doses; the drop out rate is 3 to 5 percent for children receiving the full dose series of DPT and polio. Overall, 7 in 10 children age 12-23 months have received immunization against the six principal childhood diseases---polio, diphtheria, ~rtussis, tetanus, measles and tuberculosis.

During the two weeks preceding the survey, 1 in 10 children under 5 had diarrhea. Four in ten of these children were not treated. Among those who were treated, 27 percent were given oral rehydration salts, 36 percent were given recommended home solution or increased fluids.

Breasffeeding is less common in the Philippines than in many other developing countries. Overall, a total of 13 percent of children born in the 5 years preceding the survey were not breastfed at all. On the other hand, bottle feeding, a widely discouraged practice, is relatively common in the Philippines. Children are weaned at an early age; one in four children age 2-3 months were exclusively breastfed, and the mean duration of breastfeeding is less than 3 months.

Infant and child mortality in the Philippines have declined significantly in the past two decades. For every 1,000 live births, 34 infants died before their first birthday. Childhood mortality varies significantly by mother's residence and education. The mortality of urban infants is about 40 percent lower than that of rural infants. The probability of dying among infants whose mother had no formal schooling is twice as high as infants whose mother have secondary or higher education. Children of mothers who are too young or too old when they give birth, have too many prior births, or give birth at short intervals have an elevated mortality risk. Mortality risk is highest for children born to mothers under age 19.

The 1993 NDS also collected information necessary for the calculation of adult and maternal mortality using the sisterhood method. For both males and females, at all ages, male mortality is higher than that of females. Matemal mortality ratio for the 1980-1986 is estimated at 213 per 100,000 births, and for the 1987-1993 period 209 per 100,000 births. However, due to the small number of sibling deaths reported in the survey, age-specific rates should be used with caution.

Information on health and family planning services available to the residents of the 1993 NDS barangay was collected from a group of respondents in each location. Distance and time to reach a family planning service provider has insignificant association with whether a woman uses contraception or the choice of contraception being used. On the other hand, being close to a hospital increases the likelihood that antenatal care and births are to respondents who receive ANC and are delivered by a medical personnel or delivered in a health facility.

Geographic coverage

National. The main objective of the 1993 NDS sample is to allow analysis to be carried out for urban and rural areas separately, for 14 of the 15 regions in the country. Due to the recent formation of the 15th region, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the sample did not allow for a separate estimate for this region.

Analysis unit

• Household
• Women age 15-49

Universe

The population covered by the 1993 Phillipines NDS is defined as the universe of all females age 15-49 years, who are members of the sample household or visitors present at the time of interview and had slept in the sample households the night prior to the time of interview, regardless of marital status.

Kind of data

Sample survey data

Sampling procedure

The main objective of the 1993 National Demographic Survey (NDS) sample is to provide estimates with an acceptable precision for sociodemographics characteristics, like fertility, family planning, health and mortality variables and to allow analysis to be carried out for urban and rural areas separately, for 14 of the 15 regions in the country. Due to the recent formation of the 15th region, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the sample did not allow for a separate estimate for this region.

The sample is nationally representative with a total size of about 15,000 women aged 15 to 49. The Integrated Survey of Households (ISH) was used as a frame. The ISH was developed in 1980, and was comprised of samples of primary sampling units (PSUs) systematically selected and with a probability proportional to size in each of the 14 regions. The PSUs were reselected in 1991, using the 1990 Population Census data on

The recount and description of the families of the Basque Country is carried out using diverse statistical sources. On the one hand, recounts of families are carried out via the Population and Housing Census; on the other, the five-yearly Demographic Survey (ED), of an inter-census nature, offers information on the make-up of families, the family size and preferences on the number and spacing of children and numerous other characteristics using the method of retrospective approximation to demographic phenomena.